Starlight Nights
by AvaEobane
Summary: And I said, "Oh my, what a marvellous tune"/It was the best night, never would forget how we moved./The whole place was dressed to the nines/and we were dancing, dancing/like we're made of starlight, starlight # A Valentine's Day Story about clubs, second chances in life, dancing, intrigue and love. # AU!Laxana # dedicated to HeirToTheShadows # R'n'R is highly appreciated
1. Night One

**Starlight Nights**

_And I said, "Oh my, what a marvellous tune" _

_It was the best night, never would forget how we moved.  
The whole place was dressed to the nines,  
and we were dancing, dancing  
like we're made of starlight, starlight _

Taylor Swift – Starlight

* * *

**_~ Night One ~_**

* * *

The club was as new as it was popular among the young people of Magnolia and everyone who was young and in mood for a party was there that Friday Night. _Carpe Noctem_ as the club was called was one glittering and gleaming paradise with the booming music and the fancy dressed teenagers who danced and laughed with their friends. And in the middle of the club was Laxus Dreyar, bored out of his mind and in no mood to attend the stupid party any longer. But it was his friend's birthday and Evergreen would murder him if he were to show his discomfort on Fried's birthday. Talking of the birthday boy, he was currently chatting with some white-haired girl while Bixslow was leaning onto his friend while he talked to another white-haired girl but this one had her hair short and seemed to be generally more on the tomboyish side of life. Laxus snorted, attracting Evergreen's attention and the glare she threw him was anything but nice.

He turned away and made his way through the crowd until he went upstairs were the terrace was hidden under glittering snow. For some reason, the glitter annoyed him even more than the stupid music with its always meaningless lyrics and the predictable melodies. He sighed deeply. To him, and he knew a thing or two about music, a song simply could not be great if he could sing along after hearing the first few stanzas.

He was not alone on the terrace. A young girl, maybe a few years younger than him, sat on the railing, staring into the starry distance and sipping on her drink. She paid no attention to him but there was an air of sadness, bitterness and regret surrounding her. Laxus was terrible with feelings since he had been raised by his grandfather because of his father's crime (he had never figured out what Ivan – _he had always called his own father by his first name_ – had done but from what his grandparents had let slip along the years, he had figured out that it was somehow connected to his mother, the woman he had never met) but he had not to be capable of reading people the way his grandfather read them with ease because there was a tear, shiny and crystal clear, on the girl's cheek and even Laxus knew that happy people did not cry in silence. They cried when they were laughing so hard that they could hardly stand it any longer and this girl was not crying.

She turned her head, looking at him with empty eyes before she nodded, acknowledging his presence but she stayed silent for a moment as she closed her purpleish blue eyes.

Laxus did not talk with strangers. It had taken his friends, Fried, Evergreen and Bixslow, months until he had answered or generally reacted to their questions. And yet, he found himself crossing the terrace and sitting down on the very same railing, holding out a handkerchief for her to take.

She accepted and smiled a faint smile into his general direction. "Thanks," she muttered.

He shrugged. "My grandmother raised me well," he stated plainly. "No gentleman would let a lady alone, sitting on a railing and crying while everyone else is enjoying the party."

She laughed bitterly. "Yeah, no gentleman," she agreed with him before she ran a hand through her curly hair. The gesture did not seem as flirty and seductive as it might have seemed under different circumstances. If anything, it seemed very frustrated and partly annoyed.

"Relationship trouble?" he guessed. "Not that it would be my business, of course…"

"He was not supposed to show up," she muttered, wiping away the tears she suddenly shed. "Not here, not today. It's really difficult to explain this but … of all the places where I would never want to meet him … this is Mira's party today. I can't go away – she would murder me but … dear Mavis, why today and why here?"

"Let me guess: your ex-boyfriend is here after you broke up with him, cheating might have been involved but I am not sure about that one yet. You are angry because he talked to you and your tears are not sad but angry tears," he concluded. "You want to leave as you said so yourself but you fear that Mira – your friend – might be mad at you … so you never told anyone what happened."

She nodded. "That was a brilliant conclusion," she said. "Not something I'd expect from someone who is dressed in designer clothes and speaks with a hint of Era-accent, betraying that he did not always live here in Magnolia," she added with an afterthought.

"You don't speak like you are from around here either," he shrugged. "Crocus, I gather?"

She nodded. "Exactly," she nodded. "But while you seem to fit in with the crowd down there from your clothes, I'd assume that you are more on the Rock'n'Roll side of life…"

"And classic rock, yeah," he confirmed. "That's not my music down there to be honest."

"Neither it's mine," she shrugged. "But, nah, it's the party because of Mira's success and so I will stay … even though I heard of a really nice club around here. That's where I am usually."

"Oi, Booze Chick," a tall, black-haired man with a generous amount of piercing declared as he appeared in the door. "Scarlet and Fernandez have been searching you for _hours."_

A short and petite girl with sky-kissed hair threw him a glare. "Gajeel, that's not even true," she scolded. "Erza and Jellal are looking for Lucy and Natsu but they are probably making out somewhere. Anyway, you might want to come back. We are leaving soon – well, if Mira manages to say goodbye to the guy she's flirting with right now. Remember how we promised your father that we would bring you home punctual because of tomorrow's events? No? Well, _we_ remember."

"Time to say goodbye to the guy you met," the man called Gajeel said as he held out the coat he had been carrying. "We got to leave before a certain someone can change her mind of going."

"Alright," she said as she took the coat. "Goodbye, stranger," she added with a wave and along with her friends, she disappeared from the door to vanish amidst the dancing crowd.

"Interesting…" Laxus muttered – and realised that he did not even know her first name.


	2. Night Two

_~ Night Two ~_

* * *

Evergreen had grown up with Bixslow's and Fried's antics and usually, she had believed that Laxus could never be as bad as her both childhood friends. She had been wrong. As Laxus searched for something amidst the files in his grandfather's study (a room he was technically not even allowed to because this was where Makarov kept the files of his pupils, present and former), the brunette woman stood in the doorway, watching him closely. In all the years Evergreen had known Laxus Dreyar, she had never seen him in such a state. His blond hair was in a mess and dust was all over his clothes because the older files were quite dusty.

"Would you care to tell us what the hell you are doing, Laxus?" Bixslow asked darkly.

"I am searching someone," he replied, looking up for a moment. "I did not get to ask for a name and so, I am stuck with those stupid, dumb files."

"Who are you looking for?" Evergreen inquired, stepping into the office.

"The girl he met at the party, of course," Fried said with a smug smirk. "Don't even try to deny it, Laxus. We know you and believe me, we were surprised when you suddenly started to visit coffee shops. It was obvious that you are looking for someone … and this someone has to be a girl – since this behaviour started right after the party, I assume that you met her there."

"Just because you are the smartest person in this freaking town, you don't have to annoy me like this, Fried," Laxus said as he went through another file.

"Second smartest, actually," the green-haired man corrected with a faint smirk. "My cousin, Levy, is even smarter than I am. She's a real prodigy kid. We are pretty proud of her."

"I don't care whether you know a Levy – I need at least a Gajeel or maybe even an Erza Scarlet or Erza Fernandez," Laxus snapped before he lowered the folder. "I am sorry, Fried, but this has been stressing me a lot lately because I can find no known associate of her in my grandfather's files – and where else am I supposed to find them?"

"Well, I know for a fact that this Gajeel you just mentioned is Levy's boyfriend," Evergreen shrugged before she rolled her eyes. "Don't look so scandalised, Fried, you must have known that there was something going on. I also happen to know that Gajeel is no regular in Carpe Noctem because usually, he frequents another club, Starlight."

"The old Rock'n'Roll club?" Bixslow asked. "My grandparents were already dancing there."

"She mentioned this club!" Laxus said, storing away the folders. "We meet in half an hour in front of the building. Tonight, we will investigate that club. Am I understood?"

Evergreen chose to linger a moment longer as the both other friends left and just as she also decided to leave, Laxus sighed. "Ever, what do I wear at such a club?" he asked.

"Pretty much your usual clothes – minus that coat you sometimes wear to annoy your grandfather," she said before she left as well.

Fried Justine was a genius in his own right but his younger cousin was even smarter. When they combined their brilliancy, they could easily outsmart everyone they knew. And this was exactly what they had done when Fried had celebrated his birthday. To be honest, they were still wondering why no one had noticed that celebrating ones birthday in a club was the most un-Fried-like thing to do. But then again, no one had counted on the both bookish people to realise that two of their friends were very lonely. Levy had been the only one to realise how bitter and regretful her friend Cana had been lately and Fried had realised that Laxus' request for them to live all in the same apartment building had been caused by the blond man's loneliness.

Up to know, neither Levy nor Fried had a reason to complain. Their plan was running smooth and as long as nothing would happen, they would not have to interfere at all. (Fried was currently inwardly singing praises to Laxus' complete inability to remember faces because if he had recognised Levy that night, their beautifully plotted plan might have been destroyed before it had started properly. That Evergreen had unknowingly helped them by mentioning that Gajeel hung out with Cana at Starlight – how did she even know that? – had been an added bonus, something that had allowed them to go through with their master plan earlier than they had planned to.

The parking lot was empty as Fried left the club for a moment to breathe some fresh air. The clicking sound of heels announced Levy's arrival and he turned around to acknowledge her presence. She was freezing and he did not hesitate to wrap his coat around her. "For someone so smart, it's pretty dumb to leave the coat inside," he stated drily.

"Don't be like that, Fried," she said amused as she beamed up at him. "Oh, and by the way … Mira has been asking me whether I can arrange another meeting between the two of you. According to my knowledge about your daily schedule, I might be able to arrange something next Monday…"

"When will you stop trying to hook us up with members of your circle?" he sighed. "I liked Mirajane a lot, really, but I cannot imagine that someone as beautiful as her is interested in me."

"Fried, I hate to break these news to you but ninety percent of the girls I know have or had a major crush on you – especially when you do that high ponytail thing. And Mira is not vain. She is aware of her beauty but she is not arrogant because of it. And she asked me after you."

"You can give her my number, little matchmaker," he said as he ruffled her hair. "But say, how does Ever know Gajeel? I was pretty confused when she mentioned him…"

The blue-haired girl chuckled. "She is dating Elfman and Elfman, Mira's brother, is always hanging out with Gajeel. So she has to know him."

"Hmh, yes…" he muttered as he frowned.

"And regarding your number … do you really want me to give it to Mira? You made bad experiences with this after all…" Levy looked up at him with her most innocent eyes.

"Hey, it's your friend and you have been trying to hook me up with her. I did see that," her cousin replied with a smirk. "And so yes, I decided to trust you on that one."

She grinned as she handed him his coat. "I need to slip back inside," she said. "Anyway, Mira is here today as well. You might want to say at least Hi to her, okay?"

"Yes, yes," Fried nodded as he looked at her. "Oh, Levy, before I forget about this – thank you."

"I am not doing this for Laxus. I still think that he is a jerk. I am doing this for Cana because I seriously think that Laxus might help her … because he might end up caring for her. When he breaks her heart, I will be the first one in line to murder him."

He had no doubt about her will to go through with this threat but he prayed that she would not be forced to do this. He had known Laxus for the longest time of their life. He had seen the blond man in many moods but he had never seen him in such a feverish state of having to find someone at any cost. It had been Laxus' trademark to be distanced at best and for him to invest time and effort into finding someone was nearly unbelievable.

He had really found her, sitting on the bar and downing a drink like it was water. He carefully touched her bare shoulder and watched with a faint smirk how she turned around.

"You are that guy from last week," she said as she frowned. "The one I met at CN…"

He nodded. "You recommended this club because of the music so I decided to give it a chance," he said as he sat down next to her. "Are you drinking anything decent?" he asked.

"Of course," she said before she threw him a challenging smirk. "I have been frequenting this club for years. I am pretty sure that I got the biggest expertise on the drinks over here."

"Oh, really?" he asked. "Because I got the biggest expertise on music and that stuff…"

She smirked at him. "If that's so … what can you tell me about that song?" she asked.

"Great if you want to dance," he replied, never missing the beat. "So, um…."

"Cana," she supplied with a smile. "And yes, I'd love to dance."

Mira who had been watching them nudged Erza in a way that had the red-haired woman gasping for air. "Look at that!" she squealed. "Cana is dancing with that handsome blond fellow!"

Jellal shook his head. "Cana hasn't been even trying to date someone since … since … dear Mavis, I cannot even remember the last time she dated someone!" he exclaimed. "But it is healthy for her to dance with someone, to enjoy herself again. She had me really worried since… well…"

"…since **him**, yes," Erza said darkly, glaring at the blond man's back. "When he hurts you…"

"I called dibs on smashing in his face," Levy said with a serene smile. "Oh well, I might ask Gajeel to do it in my place but I will do the yelling and the threatening."

Gajeel nodded seriously. "It's not even that I like Booze Chick all that much but when he hurts her and I get the chance to fight a fight for the Shrimp, I'll gladly do it," he said.

On the dance floor, Cana had to admit that the music was in fact amazing. The handsome blond stranger twirled her around and for the first time in a very long time, she felt weightless and free from all her sorrows and petty worries. She laughed as she started to forget that she was in fact in the nicer and classier club of Magnolia. Everyone around them was dressed in their most elegant clothes and yet, no one looked old-fashioned.

Laxus wondered what the young woman – Cana – was thinking about as they simply danced. He mused when he had danced like this the last time and he found no memory in his mind. True, he had never been one for clubs or parties but even so, he could not remember the last time he felt like this, the last time he had felt like a completely normal young man. There had always been something in his way. But right now, right now as the starlight fell through the windows, he felt completely at ease and he was content with himself and the rest of the world.

"Oi, what's your name anyway?" she asked as they took a short break.

"You did not tell me your name the last time we met so you will have to show patience," he said amused. "But you may give me a nickname."

"Usually, I don't appreciate that mysterious act but you can pull it off … _Sparky_," she grinned.

"S-sparky?" he asked. "Are you serious, Cana?"

She winked at him. "It's because of your scar, alright?"

He sighed deeply. "It's okay," he said and this was the moment Laxus Dreyar fell for Cana. He was twenty-five and until that day, he had never realised how powerful love could be. Usually, he would have snapped at her for mentioning his scar but somehow, he did not mind it when she was the one to say it. He also did not mind the nickname. He even considered it as funny. Later on when he would be back in his room, he would be entirely unable to remember the song that had been playing when they had danced.


	3. Night Three

_~ Night Three ~_

* * *

"…it's your grandfather's birthday party," Evergreen said as she kicked his shin. "The old man has been raising you – now show some gratefulness and attend this party."

"You know that I hate parties," Laxus muttered as he glared at his friend. "C'mon, Ever, just tell him that I got a headache or something like that. You lied for me before, didn't you?"

"Laxus, I won't lie to your grandfather on his birthday," she huffed as she mentioned towards the tuxedo on the chair. "Get changed or I swear on Mavis' grave that I will drag you to that party on your ear – and you know that I did this before. Oh, and Fried mentioned that Levy mentioned that Cana would attend as well…"

She had never seen him hurrying to the bathroom in order to get changed before in her life.

"You used the C-card, didn't you?" Fried asked, brushing away an invisible peck of dust from his red jacket. "You are a mean girl, Ever, but if it's the only way we can motivate Laxus, well, what else are we supposed to do? It's Makarov's birthday after all and everyone who got something to say in this town will be there … for Laxus to miss out would be bad for his reputation…"

"Um, talking of Laxus … is he supposed to dress up like he is attending his own wedding?" Bixslow asked. "I heard how Ever played the C-card but seriously … this is getting too much for me."

"He is in love and naturally trying to leave the best impression," Evergreen shrugged. "Look at yourself, Bixslow, since you have been dating Lisanna, you changed for the better as well. So why shouldn't Laxus do the same? He is just a human being after all and when he is in love, I am happy for him and wish him nothing but the best."

This was the very moment Laxus returned, interfering with any answer Fried or Bixslow might have had for their only female friend. The blond man was in fact dressed to the nines and looked very elegant and very sophisticated. "Are you ready to leave?" he inquired as he took his car keys.

* * *

"And here comes my grandson!" Makarov Dreyar, Magnolia's most popular person, announced as he waved as aforementioned man. The headmaster of the FairyTailAcademy had been talking with a tall man with reddish brown hair who was also quite famous in the city: Gildarts Clive who was an archaeologist who was hardly present in the town and yet respected by everyone.

"The last time I met him, I could carry him with one hand," the older man said amused before he looked around. "It has been really a long time, Laxus, and it's really a coincidence but … my daughter should be somewhere around with my wife … Makarov, did you see Conny?"

"I am right here," a brunette woman with stunning purplish blue eyes said amused as she extended her hand. "My name is Cornelia Alberona and you have to be Laxus. Gildarts mentioned you."

"Hopefully only the good things," he replied. "Grandfather might confirm that I was a complicated toddler so I hope that he did not spoil anything for you."

"Ah well, I want you to meet someone else too," Gildarts said. "Honey, where are you?"

A hand with crimson fingernails tapped his shoulder as a head full of brown curls appeared behind him before Cana appeared, dressed in a stunning navy dress. "Yes, dad?" she asked before her eyebrows rose. _"Sparky?"_ she asked.

"You met?" Makarov asked surprised.

"Y-yes," Laxus said, momentarily confused as well. "Long time no see, Cana."

"Indeed," she replied calmly. "It has been a whole week after all."

He hummed along to the song that was playing before he bowed ironically. "May I have this dance?" he inquired, sparing a quick gaze to the side where Gildarts had flinched but his wife grabbed his hand and the older man quickly relaxed again.

"Of course, Sparky," she replied as she gracefully accepted his hand. "Lead the way, I was never here before. I am sure, however, that it will be fun."

"I never pledged you to be the kind of girl who's daddy's little princess," he stated as they swirled over the dance floor, beautiful to watch. "Shall I call you Princess Cana from now on?"

She rolled her eyes. "My father has always been overprotective about me and my mother," she explained. "What surprised me was that you are Makarov's grandson, Sparky. So maybe I should be the one calling you Prince Laxus now…"

"Nah, keep up the Sparky," he grinned as he spun her around quite quickly. "It's funnier that way. Sure, I am rumoured to be afraid of fun but that's a lie. I am actually a really funny guy."

"I don't doubt your words," she said. "You are definitely a great dancer, Sparky."

He bowed once more before he grinned. "Your father looks like he is going to kill me once the song is over," he stated amused.

"Dad barks but he hardly bites," she replied. "The song is nice, by the way."

"Since we are dancing again, what are you doing when you aren't dancing?"

She sighed. "I studied journalism and currently search for a job," she replied. "It was what my parents expected me to do after school. I would have wanted to become a professional dancer but that didn't work out for various reasons."

"Such as?"

"No partner, for example," she shrugged. "I can be a little diva sometimes and the last few partners I had … it's save to say that it simply didn't work out properly. To be honest, you are a far better dancer than all of them combined. And this is a huge compliment coming from me."

"I am flattered, Cana," he replied. "But while I cannot advise you to chase after a childish dream, I can only tell you to keep fighting for your passion. It would be a shame to give up before you really started. If you keep thinking that safety goes above a dream, you are wrong."

"Dancing is about passion, about emotion," she stated calmly. "If I cannot … click with a partner, it's only effort and hard work without a reward." She stopped dancing for a moment and together they stepped out to the terrace before they took the pathway down to the sea. "To be honest, you are the first partner in a very long time with whom I got a … connection. That sounds probably really creepy but … I would be able to work with someone like you."

"Why would you go with _someone like me_?" he inquired. "Shouldn't you try to convince _me_?"

"I heard from trustworthy sources that you are a very busy young man, Sparky," she said.

"Laxus Dreyar might be a fun-hating, always-busy man but what about Sparky?" he asked as the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

And this was when Cana Alberona fell for Laxus Dreyar. He talked like he was crazy but somehow, she believed him and for a second, she could imagine them dancing together in competitions and winning the prizes. She could imagine them going on fancy dates, getting married even. For the fracture of a second, she could even imagine future children.

"You have no idea what you are talking about," she said as she shook her head. "Dancing requires sacrifices and … and I cannot imagine you being willed to sacrifice so many things."

"I can only repeat myself, Cana, try me," he smirked.

"I don't understand," she admitted. "You are the serious kind of person."

"I am also not the kind of person who would help a crying stranger or to walk barefooted along the beach," he shrugged. "And yet, for some reason, I do those things when you are involved."

"I do not understand," she admitted. "I heard about you … from various people. Of course they told me only the boring things about you … I didn't know that you are such a great dancer."

"Hardly anyone knows that," he said as they sat down on a rock. "You could say that the great and oh so diligent Laxus Dreyar got two secrets: he can play eight different music interests and when he was eight or nine, he wanted to become a professional dancer because he liked the music – and the women's pretty dresses but that's a different story."

"Can you tell me how you got your scar?" she asked as she looked at him. "I try to understand why you stopped dancing … because you are certainly very talented at it … and somehow, I believe that your scar might have played a role in this story."

"You are very smart … maybe as smart as Fried," he sighed. "Yes, the scar is connected to my decision to stop. It was my father who … _talked_ me out of my dream. I don't think that I have to tell you that he didn't actually talk to me. He only stated quite clearly that he would not tolerate me becoming a dancer. And therefore, I stopped dreaming."

"That's so sad," she said before determination appeared onto her face. "Alright, alright – if you try with me, we will chase down that stupid dream. We will become the best dancer Fiore has seen in an eternity. And therefore, we are going to work hard on it."

"I told you the story about the scar. Can you tell me why you … and your last partner did not work out? I assumed cheating but you didn't confirm it…"

She snorted. "Yes, he cheated on me," she said with a hurt expression on her face. "It's complicated to explain but … Well, he did not only cheat on me. I would have easily gotten over that one. He also betrayed me professionally. The stupid chick he slept with was a rival and when he told her the complete choreography, she could _outdance_ me. It was the bitterest moment of my life … but I still cannot understand why he did this to himself. It wasn't only my medal he ruined … it was also his own … anyway, I did never consider him extremely smart anyway."

"Did you learn anything from this disaster?" he inquired as he looked at the starry sky.

"Yes," she said, a little bit harsher than she had intended to. "I told myself that I will never date someone I dance with … it's easier for everyone if dancing and dating stay separated."


	4. Night Four

_~ Night Four ~_

* * *

Her dress was beautiful. The red silk formed a nice contrast to her dark hair and her tanned skin. To him, she would have been the most beautiful among the female participants anyway but he had a dark feeling that everyone in the audience might agree with him – and he was not sure whether he liked this idea or not. Well, it might play out to be an advantage for them but sometimes, he wondered why she had been so passionate about this special competition. The Fantasia Tournament was certainly an important one but if everything would go on smoothly, they would also be qualified for the National Championships – and this would be even better.

While she was adjusting her makeup and the straps of her shoes, he looked around, trying to figure out whether her boyfriend was present. There had been a duo that had been domination the scene for the past few years – Sting Eucliffe and his partner Minerva (he had not paid enough attention to hear her last name because Cana and the other woman had had some kind of verbal fight after the stranger had insulted Laxus' partner first, something about _being an_ _incompetent loser who had to stick to an equally incapable partner for obvious reasons_) but somehow, Laxus could simply not imagine that Cana would go for a wannabe-bad boy like Sting – what kind of name was that, anyway? Rogue Chenney and his partner Yukino Agurina were kind and they had both friendly chatted with his partner while he had supervised the conversation. There was the inevitable duo of Ultear Milkovich and Lyon Bastia (and it was no surprise that Lyon looked just as forced and annoyed as he had used to, all those years ago) but Lyon had always been dating Ultear.

So maybe, the evil and traitorous boyfriend was simply not even present. Laxus would prefer things this way because the mysterious man had the tendency of dragging Cana down and making her very unhappy and this was the last thing they needed right now.

"Laxus, it's our turn now," Cana said as she got up from her chair, smoothing invisible wrinkles. She was obviously quite nervous but he knew that they would succeed.

During the time they had practiced and worked hard for their performance, he had realised that she stuck to her never-date-your-partner-philosophy and he had no idea how painful it was for him to wave her goodbye while she took off with some random guy. And yet, he was happy to be her partner because while her dates and boyfriends changed at least every week, he was always there, always welcome in her life. He had never felt uninvited when he had visited her at her apartment. And while he was in limbos, no potential date material for her until he would quit and stop being there for her as her best friend and closest confident, he preferred being in limbos over being not part of her life anymore.

It was strange how quick the brunette woman had become an important part of his life – if not even the most important part of his life. He often mused how bitter it was that whenever they went out in the evening to dance, she would leave with someone else. He sometimes felt like her bodyguard – someone she took with her when she went out without truly caring about him. On other days when she remembered his favourite food and made it for him for no particular reason and this showed him that she did care for him – sometimes even more than she cared about her other friends when she cancelled outings for no other reason but to spend time with him.

He often had to control his tongue when he was present because along the past few months, he had come to terms with his feelings and he was not afraid to tell her that he was in love with her. If he would not pay attention, he might let it slip any day. They had both stopped drinking in each others presence and while he had done this to prevent that he told her that he was _'um yes, pretty much in love with'_ her, he had no idea why she did not drink anything anymore. He could read her eyes like open books and he knew how much she had grown to hate those empty lines because she had heard them too often when the other one had not meant it and yet, he prayed that one day, he would be the one to show her that some people still meant it when they said those words.

Their performance went well, better than he had expected it to go because somehow, they had been calm and absolutely relaxed – nearly as if they had never done anything else but to dance together. And sadly, they would never do anything else because she was very strict with herself.

Their friends were cheering them on. Erza nearly slapped Natsu as she tried to give Mira a high five and if it had not been for Lucy's and Lisanna's quick thinking, Natsu and Erza would have killed each other during their friends' performance.

Afterwards, they met the chaotic group in the hall where the dancers and the audience likewise could drink water and champagne. And this was when Laxus felt like someone had punched him. It was not like Erza had tried to injure him verbally and she had probably not even noticed it but she had to go and mention Cana's very first partner who had been – according to the brunette – involved in a lot of her firsts. He had been her first best friend, her first dance partner. He had been present when she had first skipped school – and he had been her first crush.

Therefore, Laxus did not appreciate it when Erza said that Cana had never danced this well since Gray had left Magnolia to live with his foster family in the North of Fiore. He tried not to show his discomfort but somehow, it felt strange to be compared to a brilliant dancer such as Gray Fullbuster because there was no way that Laxus could ever measure up to the dark-haired man.

Cana left the group soon afterwards to freshen up before they would show the second part of their performance and when she did not return, Laxus went to look for her because everything was better than to be faced with Erza's tales about how great and friendly and generally amazing the moron called Gray was.

"Cana?" he called out as he passed the women's changing rooms. "Are you in there?"

"Right on time, Mr Dreyar," a cold and cruel voice said before Minerva grabbed his tie and pulled him into the room. Cana sat on the floor as her skirt sported an ugly rip and her shin showed the beginning of a huge bruise.

"What is going on?" he asked as he looked from his partner to the other woman.

"Cana, dearie, why don't you tell him what I told you the last time you messed with me?" Minerva asked amused. "You see, Mr Dreyar, Cana over here is a real genius on the dance floor. I would kill for only half her talent but sadly, that would get me only into prison. I don't like to lose – to be honest, I absolutely loathe it but as long as Cana sticks around, I will be never more than second best. I don't think that I can accept this. So, sweetie, do want to choose which foot I am going to break?" she asked with an evil smirk as she turned at the brunette.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Laxus snapped as he took one step forward. "How crazy can you be? You want to break her foot just because she's better than you? If someone's better, you train until you surpass him. It's easy like that. And while I loathe you, I got to admit that you're skilled. Yes, Cana is extremely talented and yes, it will take time to become better than her but … you can't seriously want to injure her for such a petty reason, woman!"

"Funny, Gray Fullbuster said exactly the same thing when he was in your place," she replied as she raised her foot. "But you see Cana has already understood that it is very dangerous to mess with me. She is very silent, isn't she? That's because she has learned her lesson – at least partially."

"Cana, get up and go away," Laxus said pleadingly. "She can't hurt you if you don't let her."

"Oh, Cana and I are old acquaintances and she knows just too well that I can get very mean if my prey tries to run away. It's merciful to break only one foot. I could also smash in her face…"

"I am sorry, Laxus," Cana said as she closed her eyes, awaiting the pain. "I am a terrible partner, I know. I hope that you can forgive me. I know what this competition means to you. I apologise."

"Listen, Bitchnerva, if we stop our participation, would you refrain from hurting Cana?"

"Nah, nah, Laxus," the woman said amused. "Unfortunately, I got a pretty mean and sadistic streak and letting go of my prey after I chased it down would be pretty foolish from me. So no, I won't let go of her … you just wasted your chance to fight me openly, by the way," she said as her foot slammed down onto Cana's ankle, crushing her bones. "I changed my shoes for this one," she said amused as she left the room through the second door.

Laxus cursed before he hurried over to Cana and lifted her from the floor. "Sorry for failing you," he whispered as he wrapped her coat around her. "I will get you to the hospital … but you have to report her. This woman is dangerous, you see?"

"Yes," she muttered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for caring so much."

* * *

Laxus had intended to visit her the first day after the attack but caught up in the business of getting Minerva trialled for what she had done to Cana, he had not been able to stop by until the first few days had passed. Therefore he had brought flowers and chocolate to apologise for being such a _'__lousy and foolish moron of a dance partner'_ as Bixslow had put it. Evergreen had chosen the flowers because she had insisted that the wrong flowers might be as insulting as a verbal assault. He also brought her new painkillers because Erza had mentioned that Cana was running out of them when he had met the redhead on his way to Cana's apartment.

Right now, Laxus hurried up the stair cases to her apartment and knocked forcefully. The door was opened faster than he had expected Cana to open it because she was still walking on crutches. But then again, maybe she had been expecting someone else. "Sparky?" she asked.

"Yes, I wanted to check on my favourite dance partner," he shrugged. "So, um, those things are all for you and Erza said that you were running out of painkillers so here you got some more."

She smiled as she mentioned towards her living room. "Thanks," she said before she sighed. "Dad threw a fit at the broken ankles. He is currently getting the best lawyer from the capital so that we can win this case. You will have to be witness since there is no other kind of proof. Mom is saying that she tracks down Gray because the last time it happened, he was forced to watch."

"Gray, huh?" Laxus muttered, trying very hard not to sound as jealous as he felt. "So, he's coming back to Magnolia? I heard from many people that he left the town a few years ago…"

"Yes, but he had reasons to leave," she confirmed. "It will be strange to have him back. I haven't seen him since he went away even though we call each other every few weeks and we write each other for our birthdays and other important dates."

He flinched inwardly because this was the first time Cana had showed some kind of affection for another person. Sure, he had known that Gray had been always her friend even in the more difficult times of her life and since the dark-haired man had probably also been the only partner she had ever felt some kind of connection before – at least this was what their success had implied – Laxus simply could not help but feeling jealous. "So, um, what are you planning on doing now, that he is coming back?" he asked, loathing the answer already before he had gotten it.

"Well, he will stay most likely until Erza's wedding so I will have lots of chances to catch up with him," Cana said cheerfully. "You will like him as well, Laxus. Gray is a really funny person."

Laxus got up from his chair and before he even realised what he was doing, he had nearly left the room. "I just remembered, Cana, I have a business trip to Era pending … I probably won't be back until we are dragging Minerva in front of a judge," he said hastily. "I will call you when I'm back."


	5. Night Five

_~ Night Five ~_

* * *

Someone was knocking onto his door. No, scratch that, someone was smashing down his door with a bare hand. Laxus sighed deeply as he got up from his couch where he had been reading and opened the door – only to be face to face with the blue-haired girl who was Fried's cousin. The short one's head was so red that he feared that it might explode and for someone this small and petite, she punched very hard. "I can't believe you!" she hissed as Fried appeared behind her, a red mark indicating where she had slapped him with all her might. "I got no clue what you did, Dreyar, but Cana claims that you walked out on her – without a reason. She is nearly as depressed as she was when Sting cheated on her. I tell you what you are going to do now: you will fix this before I ask Gajeel to kill you for hurting Cana like this!"

"Levy, calm down," Fried said as he rested his hands on her shoulders. "Give him at least the chance to explain himself, will you? You know what they say: _innocent until he's proven guilty._"

"He is in Magnolia after claiming that there is some important business trip, Fried," she snapped as she stabbed him with her finger. "Fried, I know that he's your friend but I swear that I will get Gajeel if he can't give me a really good explication for this behaviour."

"While I appreciate your fervour to defend your friend, Miss McGarden, I have to tell you that you are sadly mistaken," Laxus replied. "It is very unlikely that my behaviour is the reason behind Cana's because she made quite clear that she looks forward to seeing her first love again."

The blue-haired woman rolled her eyes. "You don't read any newspaper, do you?" she sighed. "Gray is _engaged_ and about to _marry_. Part of the reason why he is in town right now is because his fiancée is one of Cana's best friends and because Juvia – that's her name, by the way, just in case that you don't believe me and want to confirm it somehow – wants Cana as her bridesmaid. That's the main reason why Gray is back in town … because he wants to marry here where all of his old friends live, where he grew up and where he always wanted to return to."

"You were jealous, weren't you, Laxus?" Fried concluded with a faint smile. "I can understand that … when I heard that one of Mira's ex-boyfriends came to town, I was jealous as well."

"I … I am a total fool," Laxus whispered.

"Congratulation for realising the obvious," Levy huffed. "I have no idea why you didn't confess to Cana earlier but this childish behaviour has to stop, Dreyar. You were hurting her."

"Before we even became partners, she established her personal rules that she would never ever date her partner again," the blond man explained. "That's why I didn't say anything…"

"From what Cana told me, you changed her mind about something before," Levy said, softer and friendlier this time. "She never wanted to dance again after Sting and yet, she danced with you, for you. If there is anyone who could change Cana for the better, anyone who could make her happy, it's you because you seem to understand her quite well. I don't care how you make amends but do something – fast – before I will send both Gajeel and Gray after you … and I am sure that Juvia might join them … just because she will be pretty mad at you as well."

"I never pledged you to be a violent and … expressive person," the blond man said slowly.

"It's Gajeel's influence," Fried shrugged. "I am not sure whether I like it or not. I laughed louder than anyone else when Levy stood up to the girl who kept bullying her for years but it is kinda embarrassing when she screams at my friends," he added as he ruffled his cousin's hair. "But seriously, Laxus, do something to fix this mess before Levy sends her killer squad after you."

"Any suggestions what I can do now to fix everything?" he asked, tired and frustrated.

"This is something you have to figure out for yourself," Levy shrugged. "I can only tell you that Cana prefers it when gifts show that you thought about it – a lot. She doesn't care about money. She cares about the thought behind it. Think of something nice and you will be safe."

* * *

"…so, um, I don't get to beat him up?" Gajeel asked with a sigh as Levy returned. "Too bad…"

"In the end, it seems to be some kind of misunderstanding," Fried mused as he sat down to stare into the flames. "Of course, this does not excuse everything but … it is important to know that he didn't hurt her on purpose. He was jealous after all and we have to respect this emotion…"

"Yes," Erza said with a serious nod. "But still, Levy and Fried are at least partially responsible for this mess and therefore, they have to come up with a decent plan to end this mess."

"Yes," the green-haired man replied as he looked at his cousin. "We caused this mess. We will also clean it up … but we might need your help, Erza. As far as I am informed, you and Jellal still need help with the organisation of the wedding … how would you feel about handing it over to me and Levy? Don't worry, we won't mess anything up this time…"

"The wedding would take place in your family's castle, I assume?" Erza inquired as she tilted her head. "That sounds like a decent idea … what do you say, Jellal?"

"As long as no one dies, I am fine with this," Jellal said. "Shall we say, in six weeks?"

"We would be able to pull it off in four but Cana's foot has to heal and we need to start with the side plans. We will most likely send everyone a short letter with the points we need help with – such as getting Laxus to the wedding," Fried said as he looked at Evergreen. "You are pretty good at that one, Ever … wouldn't you like to volunteer for this job?"

"Yes, yes," she said, slightly bored. "Seeing that I have been doing this job for years, I can easily do it this time around as well. Laxus will attend the wedding and if it will be the last thing I'll ever make sure of. You have my word, Fried. If necessary, I will use blackmail."

"I am sure that we got enough dirt on him to ensure that he comes, yep," Bixslow grinned.

"Did I ever mention that you guys can be pretty creepy and unsettling?" Lucy asked.

"I would rather go with 'extremely effective', Lu-chan," Levy shrugged. "Yes, our methods are not exactly innocent but well … we get the job done, don't we? And that's why Fried and I have to leave now. We have a wedding to prepare after all."

"Wait a moment, Levy," Mira said as she rose from her chair. "I am going to help you. If I understood you correctly, this is taking a lot of work from the both of you. And seeing that I have been organising weddings for a living since I am a wedding planner … what I mean is … it's my job to plan weddings. So let me do that work and you focus on the Laxus-Cana-problem."

"Thank you for the support, Mira," Fried said with a small bow. "We gladly appreciate your help."

* * *

"You are going to attend this wedding, Cana," Gray Fullbuster declared as he pushed his oldest friend into her bathroom. "Juvia did not spend three hours yesterday on finding a dress for you just so that you can play the diva and refuse to attend the wedding. Girl, Erza has been your friend for years and can you imagine how disappointed she will be when you skip her wedding?"

"Gray, can you stop to involve yourself with my life?" she asked as she allowed him to close the door right in front of her, effectively locking her in her own bathroom. "Yes, yes – I will go to Erza's wedding but please … can you keep me from drinking anything?"

The dark-haired man smirked. "What happened to the drunken Cana I knew?" he asked.

"She grew up," came the bitter reply before the young woman went to shower.

"Did you manage to get Cana to come with us?" Juvia Lockser, a beautiful blue-haired woman with deep, soul-searching eyes inquired as she stepped into the hallway, dressed in her pale blue dress with the small crystals shattered all over the silk.

"Yes," Gray sighed as he smiled at his fiancée. "I completely forgot how stubborn Cana can get."

"Juvia thinks that it is hard to forget something like this," she replied drily. "Did Levy-chan tell you why Cana is this upset? She only told Juvia that something guy-related happened…"

"It was probably a guy- and dance partner-related problem," the black-haired man sighed. "Don't worry, Juvia. Levy and Fried swore that they would fix it so they will fix it. I am sure of this."

"But what … what if they cannot fix whatever they have done?"

"In this case, I am going to beat up one very unfortunate guy," he said darkly. "Cana isn't one to fall in love easily … so if she truly fell for this guy, he has to be something really special."

"Everything will be alright," his girlfriend said seriously as she hugged his arm. "I am sure that Cana will simply not allow anyone to shatter her heart again. She grew since that day."

He sighed before he held her close. They had been there the day Cana had fallen apart, defeated and betrayed like never before. They had seen the brunette's tears as her dream burst like a snow globe after falling from a shelf. And Gray remembered how Juvia had cried with Cana as he stood there, helpless to say or do anything because he had never been good with emotions and he had never seen Cana crying like this before and Juvia had been supposed to be strong enough to help Cana as everything had turned out worse than anyone would have expected it too.

"We will make it work," Gray promised as he kissed her forehead. "I promise, Juvia."

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you so much, Gray-sama," she said. "Juvia hates to see Cana unhappy. She and Juvia are friends after all."

* * *

Evergreen Raijin had been Laxus Dreyar's assistant/cook/babysitter/friend for many years and in all those years, she had never had so much trouble with getting him to do something before. But seeing that she had been there since his childhood, she had no problem with blackmailing him.

"…you would really tell my grandfather of that trip to Era?" Laxus asked as he looked at the brunette woman who was glaring at him. "Ah, c'mon, Ever – you can't be serious!"

She tilted her head. "Do I look like I am kidding?" she inquired as she smoothed her gray dress. "I expect you to be ready in half an hour. I have to call Fried … he is responsible for the planning after all," she said as she left the room within the blink of an eye.

"Stupid Elfman-lover," the blond man muttered and when a brush hit the back of his head, he did not even manage to fake surprise because he had seen it coming.

"Try again when your insults are above the level of a five-year-old," she said before she finally left and hurried down the staircase to call Fried. "Took me some blackmail but he is coming," she whispered. "Do you know whether Fullbuster was successful as well?"

_"He was,"_ the green-haired male replied amused. _"He is currently getting her to the church. Levy and I are already there and assign the places. Mira really outdid herself with the decorations."_

"Great, we will be there right at time," Evergreen replied as she applied lipstick. "What do you think? Will the plan be successful this time around? Because to be honest, we can't afford to fail … Laxus was moody and easily annoyed for weeks now … I am not sure if I can tolerate that any longer. I mean, sure, I knew what I was signing up for when I expected the job but…"

_"We know how he can get when something is not going his way,"_ Fried shrugged. Both of them worked for Laxus – just like Bixslow – because as the blond man's friends, they were probably the only ones who could actually tolerate Laxus Dreyar's many moods. While Evergreen was the personal assistant and Laxus' babysitter (because for such a grownup man, he could be pretty childish at times), Fried dealt with the public representation of Laxus' enterprise and acted as a lawyer even though he got hardly nothing to do. (Bixslow claimed that Fried used his charming attitude to get out of trouble but Evergreen swore that their green-haired friend had not even a single charming bone in his body.) And Bixslow dealt with the clients – why Laxus had made the weirdo the one who influenced so many important decisions was still a miracle to Evergreen.

"Yeah," the woman sighed. "Anyway, I need to get the chauffeur ready. See you later, Freed."

_"Try not to murder the boss,"_ he sighed. _"We need someone to sign our pay checks after all."_

"I try – but I swear, if he turns up in his old coat, I will murder him – and you will help me digging the hole because I won't go into prison for killing him," she replied. "Okay, see you then."

* * *

"…okay, Mira is calming down Erza – she's freaking out right now," Levy said as she stopped next to Freed. "Juvia wrote me a message; they got Cana and are on the way now. Did Evergreen call?"

"Yes and she blackmailed Laxus into attending," her cousin replied amused. "It looks good for us, Levy. We might be able to make amends for the relationship we messed up by instigating it."

"We rather should be successful," she muttered as she looked down. "I could never forgive myself for making Cana this unhappy. We have to fix it, Fried, or I won't be able to look into the mirror again … and we all know how ugly that can get."

"Yes, because you might end up wearing a pink shirt with a green skirt again," he commented drily as he ruffled her hair. "You are not the best when it comes to colour coordination after all."

She glared at him. "I was four when I combined pink and green," she huffed indignantly.

"Yes, and now you aren't four anymore but you are still wearing blue with orange," he said. "Anyway, looks like its show time now – Gray and the both girls just arrived."

"Juvia looks amazing!" Levy exclaimed before she hurried over to the trio as fast as her feet could carry her to hug the other blue-haired woman. "Ju-chan, you look beautiful today!"

"Thank you very much, Levy," the taller woman smiled. "Juvia is very flattered but you look nice too. Gajeel-kun is very lucky to have a girlfriend as beautiful as you, Levy."

"Don't I get a hug and a compliment too?" Gray asked as he ruffled Levy's hair. "It has been to long, oh short one. How's the big bad boyfriend?"

"Gajeel is at the pharmacy with Wendy to get some painkillers for Jellal – he got a headache. Ultear assumed that he thought too hard and that his brain couldn't take it," she said with a straight face. "Oh, hey, Cana," she said as she hugged the brunette. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you lately and I was rather busy with the wedding so I couldn't call you either. I am sorry … shall we go shopping next Saturday?" she asked.

Cana nodded calmly before she picked a thin thread from the purple dress she was wearing. "Of course but I think that we should go inside now," she said. "I don't want to get killed by Erza for being too late. And I guess that the same goes for you guys."

"For some reasons, the idea of being murdered is not too appealing, yes," Fried agreed.

Laxus and Evergreen were too late but so were Lisanna and Bixslow, therefore, it was alright and they slipped into the church, unnoticed by the bride which was very good for them because Erza was rumoured to have an anger problem for a good reason.

But Juvia who had been daydreaming and looking around during the ceremony had spotted them and inside her mind, a brilliant plan appeared. She was a smart woman and rather cunning – all the years spend getting rid of love rivals had not been in vain after all – and before Jellal could say 'I do', Juvia had already figured out what to do. Cana was her friend after all and since the brunette had been the one to make Gray notice Juvia thus, the blue-haired woman was forever indebted and by returning the favour, she would be able to repay her debt.

As Erza looked beautiful in her white dress with the long train and Jellal handsome in his black tuxedo and the bridesmaids and the groom's entourage smiled and chuckled, Juvia came up with her master plan.

Laxus wondered for a second why it suddenly felt so chilly and why there were shivers running down his spine but he shook his head and told himself to forget about it because knowing the bride, she had eyes even on the back of her head, hidden under her complicated hairstyle and the veil and she was the kind of woman to murder him for interrupting the wedding.

"You may now kiss the bride," Makarov said as he tried very hard to sound serious. Laxus, however, could hear his grandfather's cheerful amusement without a problem and chuckled softly.

"You go, Erza!" Natsu Dragneel, one of the groom's men, called out as the bride grabbed her husband's tie to yank him into a deep and passionate kiss.

"Natsu, no screaming inside the church!" the Maid of Honour, Lucy Heartfilia, yelled before she slammed her bouquet onto his head, easily ignoring the rule she had just mentioned herself.

"My, my, Scarlet really got married before me," Evergreen sighed as she looked around to smirk at Elfman. "I never expected it to happen so fast … now she's all grown up…"

Lisanna patted her shoulder. "There, there, Ever," she said amused. "But now, we should head for the exit before everyone decides to leave. We will congratulate them later on."

"Why aren't you a bridesmaid, Lisanna?" Evergreen asked. "I thought you and Erza were childhood friends … shouldn't you be up in front?"

"I asked her to relieve me of this duty because while I have known her longer, Lucy knows her better and so it's only fair that Lucy gets to be the bridesmaid. I am quite clumsy too and so it's healthier for me not to wear such a dress," the white-haired girl replied as Bixslow wrapped his left arm around her.

* * *

"The name is Juvia, Juvia Lockser," a calm voice said as a blue-haired woman appeared next to him as he sat at the bar, staying away from his colleagues who were dancing anyway – not that they were any good at it, of course. He frowned at her and recognised her as the famous swimmer and winner of countless gold metals along the last few years.

"Laxus Dreyar," he replied as he nodded at her. "You're Fullbuster's girl, aren't you?"

She nodded quite enthusiastically. "Gray-sama is the greatest person Juvia has ever met," she said as she smiled lovingly at the man who was currently dancing with the Cana's mother. "Sadly, Juvia isn't much of a dancer because she is _terribly_ clumsy. When Gray-sama took her to the ice rink, she broke her arm and missed out many important competitions."

"I highly doubt that you came over to tell me how amazing your fiancé is," Laxus sighed.

"Oh, yes, Juvia came to tell you how amazing Cana is, Laxus-san," she smirked. "At first, Juvia was very jealous of Cana because Cana has known Gray-sama since they started to dance and so, she knew him better than Juvia knew him at the time. But then, Cana became Juvia's best friend and she even helped Juvia to get together with Gray-sama. Therefore, Juvia wants nothing but the very best for Cana … and she hopes that she will find a decent partner again."

"What are you playing at?" Laxus asked as he wondered how Cana had been able to survive this long when all her friends were at least slightly strange and distinctively creepy at times. Erza had seemed to be quite normal but her obsession with strawberry cake made her unpredictable and everyone else had not even tried to hide the fact that he or she was most likely completely insane.

"That you should talk with Cana, Laxus-san," the swimmer smiled. "Juvia is not stupid and she read the newspapers. You were her partner but for some reason, you aren't her partner anymore. Juvia thinks that it's really sad and that you should give it another try. Cana is very unhappy but she is very stubborn too and won't say anything."

"So, what do you suggest?" Laxus sighed as he wondered when he had sunk so low that he needed the help of a complete stranger to get his issues sorted out.

"Ask her to dance," Juvia said as she took a step back. "Juvia just saw Gajeel-kun and has to speak with him. She has not seen him since he moved away from Oak!"

She dashed away and Laxus emptied his whiskey before he made his way over to Cana. "Long time no see, partner," he said as he carefully touched her shoulder.

"Seeing that I haven't heard anything from you but a few emails in the past two months, I am not so sure whether we are still partners," she replied as she frowned up at him. "But, hey, how are you? I saw you talking with Juvia … you aren't hitting on taken women, are you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Hardly," he said drily. "She is a tad bit too over-enthusiastic for my taste. And I don't think that I could compete with Fullbuster in her eyes so I'd rather hit on you – seeing that you aren't sure if we are still partners, this shouldn't be against your rules."

Her glare stung more than any slap could. "I really hope that you didn't disappear from the face of the earth only so that I'd start to doubt our partner-status and you could hit on me afterwards," she said as she raised her left eyebrow. "Because that would be slightly messed up."

"Maybe I did," he admitted. "You didn't exactly give me a chance to ask you out, did you? You turned me down before I ever got the chance to ask you … because I wanted to ask if you'd fancy dinner and cinema sometimes that day on the beach."

Her facial expression suggested that she wanted to slap herself. "You did not just say what I believed you said," she whispered as her hands covered her face. "You … you seriously wanted to ask me out that day?" she asked miserably.

"Yeah, 'cause unfortunately for me, you kinda took my heart with you when you left the Starlight the evening you first called me Sparky," he confessed as the tips of his ears sported a beautiful shade of red, rivalling both Erza's hair and Fried's jacket.

Her eyes widened before she pouted. "Well, you stole mine that night at the beach," she said before she looked at him. "And where do we go from here?" she asked.

He shrugged before he held out his hand. "I guess that we'll dance and work out the rest step by step," he suggested. "That's how we operated until now and it worked quite well."

She nodded before she leaned her forehead against his chest. "Sorry for being so complicated," she apologised as she stared at his shoes with enormous interest.

"I am sorry for being such a coward," he said calmly before he lifted her chin and kissed her lips quite tenderly. "There, is it better now?" he asked calmly.

She bit her lip before she smirked mischievously up at him. "Nope," she said before she leaned in to steal a kiss from his lips. "I guess there have to be a few more before it will get better for us."

He chuckled before he grabbed both her hands and dragged her onto the dance floor. "Well, we better start dancing now – your father was looking at me like he wants to murder me," he explained. "And I'm not sure whether you want me to be killed by your own father."

"Nah, I prefer the only one I ever really got a connection with alive and well," she smirked.

On the sidelines, Fried held out his hand. "Pay up, Levy," he grinned. "I told you that Juvia would be the one to fix it completely in the end."

She glared up at him. "She probably just told him to talk with her – and everyone could have come up with that idea," she complained. "Sure, I adore Juvia but … that was no evil master plan."

"And I guess that this is exactly the reason why it worked," he shrugged. "We probably thought far too complicated why Juvia concentrated on the basics – and was successful in the end."

"Tsk … but you are probably right," she sighed. "Well, at least, it ended well."

"We are yet to see her father's reaction – and knowing Gildarts, this might get violent," he shrugged as he pocketed the money. "You might regain the money by betting on how long they will fight before Cornelia-san freaks out and throws her drink at Gildarts," he said amused.

"I thought Laxus is your boss and idol," his cousin said amused as she tilted her head.

"He is … but just as everyone believes you to be the embodiment of innocence while you can come up with pretty devious plans if necessary, I can also take amusement in his struggle – especially when I told him that he should simply act on his feelings."

"Well … if that's the case … you should take a spoon of your own medicine and face the music. Cousin," she grinned as she pushed him into Mira's general direction. "Thank me later, yes?"

"You got pretty mean, shrimp," Gajeel said as he handed her a drink. "I think I like it."

She smiled innocently. "It's unfair that you call me mean," she pouted. "I am only trying to help."

"Shrimp, I know that you are frequently hanging out with the matchmaker woman but please, don't copy her behaviour. It freaks me out – a lot."

She chuckled as she held out her hand. "C'mon, let's hit the dance floor as well," she said. "And don't tell me that you don't do dancing because for me, _you will_."

Cana chuckled as she saw how Levy, short and petite, dragged Gajeel, tall and sturdy, onto the dance floor. "In the end, it worked out," she muttered before she smiled at him.

"Yes, it sure did," he agreed and once more, they circled under the humble light of the stars.

* * *

**_~ The end ~_**

* * *

_This five-part-fanfiction is dedicated HeirOfTheShadows (Shadow-chan!) who might appreciate it._

_And everyone who is not Shadow-chan – a happy Valentine's Day. I hope that you got tons of chocolate and other sweets._


End file.
